TabletPC and note-taking progs

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Laptops are essential in college it seems. I just want to know how popular are TabletPCs? The reason I ask is because I know that TabletPCs have the touch-screen with the pen that adds more features than what you would get in a laptop. I only ask, because I'm wondering if a TabletPC would be better for note-taking in a class. I figured that with the pen and touch-screen you might be able to simply draw somethings out in case you couldn't do it on the keyboard or mouse.</p>

<p>My other question is in regards to note-taking programs. Are there any out there? If so which ones are good? I'm thinking of something that would allow you to put in math formulas or graphs if you needed to while still giving you the ease of typing your notes as well. Does something like this exist for laptops or TabletPC?</p>

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<p>one of the schools i got into requires all students to buy this one tablet laptop. it's by gateway, but i forget what model exactly, sorry</p>

<p>if i end up going there, i'll of course have to buy this model, but if i didn't have to, it's not a function i see myself using. ask yourself if it's a feature that would really help your studies + organization in college before you go out and buy one</p>

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<p>I take notes on paper in a notebook, not on my computer.</p>

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<p>Latex or Microsoft onenote are both good</p>

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<p>Onenote (included in Microsoft Office) and GoBinder are the top two note taking programs as far as Tablet PCs go</p>

<p>
[quote]
I only ask, because I'm wondering if a TabletPC would be better for note-taking in a class. I figured that with the pen and touch-screen you might be able to simply draw somethings out in case you couldn't do it on the keyboard or mouse.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Let me tell you -- doing math homework is so much easier on my tablet than having to waste all that paper (and balance it all in my small workspace), or trying to come up with a way to type it all on a computer.</p>

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<p>What you need is Xthink's MathJournal:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.xthink.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.xthink.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>This program is designed for Tablet PCs. The program can create graphs from math equations...and much more. </p>

<p>Some people use LaTeX for creating math equations on their computers or regular laptops. LaTeX (<a href="http://www.latex-project.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.latex-project.org/&lt;/a&gt;) is really a typesetting program for the Math community. What LaTeX does not do is give you the solution to your math problems like MathJournal does. By this, I mean, open up MathJournal on your Tablet PC, write down your math problem and tap on your "solution" button. </p>

<p>A great source of information for students is: </p>

<p><a href="http://www.studenttabletpc.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studenttabletpc.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Wow this is really good stuff. I'm in school right now so I'll check it out when I get home. It's good to know there are programs like these available.</p>

<p>Being that there is a big advantage to using a TabletPC because of programs like this my other question is whether it makes sense to have a Laptop as well to do other things like games or whatever else you might want to have.</p>

<p>I mean I'm not neccesarily in a state where I can buy a bunch of hi-tech gadgets but I'll probably be taking my desktop with me if not I'll be getting a laptop before I go off to college, but I might just get the TabletPC to go with either the Desktop/Laptop.</p>

<p>Also what companies make good TabletPCs? If note taking becomes that simple with a TabletPC I'll probably end up getting one but I need to know where to look for one. And if anyone knows, is the TabletPC different from what Microsoft just released "Oragami"?</p>

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<p>My suggestion would be to really look at what you need.
As others have said, a tablet pc might be useful if your taking a lot of math courses, however I find it more effective to simply use paper in a notebook in classes where I need to write more graphical notes or otherwise difficult to type things such as complex math equations.
On the other hand, one of my upper division writing intensives last semester required me to type as many as 5-10 pages of single-space, 10pt font notes in a 90-minute period! I can tell you that within a couple of days of that class, not a single person was trying to hand-write their notes!
Basically, just take a look at what your proposed major will be and look up the kinds of classes you'll be taking.
What is your proposed major, btw?</p>

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<p>engineering</p>

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<p>Re: gaming</p>

<p>Some of the more powerful Tablets will allow you to play games (Toshiba M400/R15). You’ll need to order them with upgraded graphic cards which bump up their price. As a rule, it’s cheaper to have a desktop computer for games. And desktops are easier and cheaper to upgrade. </p>

<p>Re: brands</p>

<p>Toshiba: M200/M400/R15
Lenovo (formerly IBM) X41 Tablet PC
Gateway: CX200</p>

<p>Acer and Fujitsu also make good Tablets as well.</p>

<p>Getting to play with one is the big problem. Best Buy should have the Gateway and the Toshibas.</p>

<p>Re: Student Tabletpc site</p>

<p>Three students run the site: Two are engineering students (UT-Austin and The Colorado School of Mines) and the third student is a linguistics major (UC-Berkeley). The site has excellent forums on Tablet use and has a lot of Tablet PC and Tablet software links…</p>

<p>Re: Origami</p>

<p>Microsoft just announced these devices at CEBIT (Hanover, Germany) last week. They’re a bit larger than a PSP with 7” screens with both digital ink and touch sensitive input enabled. They have a slide out keyboard. They should hit the market next month. It’s hard to say how useful these devices will be until people can actually play with them. They will likely sell for $700 or more which puts them too close to entry level laptops. I’d wait to see how really useful these devices will be.</p>

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<p>I'm looking to do business not sure which kind but maybe management or finance. I might take a lot of math classes on the side too because I just like working with numbers. I'm really looking to get away from paper and pen when it comes to class notes.</p>

<p>BTW what's the cost for your average TabletPC?</p>

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<p>Prices usually run from $1000-$2000 depending on how they're configured. Tablets are cheaper than they were a few years ago, but still more expensive than your average Dell...</p>

<p>Then again, the usefullness of being able to take notes in your own handwritting (and being able to search through them on a Tablet) is worthwhile.</p>

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<p>Rather than just start a new thread I decided to bring back this old thread I started a while back. My question now regarding TabletPCs is do they come with CD/DVD drives? I'm looking around some of the models and they don't seem to make any mention of them, even the ones that have the laptop look where the screens can be turned around.</p>

<p>Also, at this point what would you guys recommend to get? The more I think about it the less sense it makes to have a laptop and a TabletPC seeing as the TabletPC seems to have almost all, if not all, the functions of a laptop. That brings me to my other question, what are some things that the TabletPC doesn't have that the laptop does, and vice versa?</p>

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<p>Re: optical drives</p>

<p>Some do some don't. But for the ones that don't you can't get an external drive for when you need it. Most of the smaller, more portable(more desirable) ones don't as they're trying to save weight and space. The larger "convertible" tablets with full keyboards do but they're pretty bulky and kind of contradict the purpose of a tablet because they're the size of an average laptop. </p>

<p>I love the X41 but it's been out quite a while and I would expect some type of upgrade soon. I love the concept of Motion Computing's tablet PCs but they're pretty expensive. I think Gateway's is WAY to big for me. I looked into Electrovaya's tablets but was concerned about support. Toshiba's new Tecra M7 looks interesting but 14"... I'd prefer 12". So from whats being offered right now in the market, I'd go with Motion (LE1600 or even the LS800 if you want super portable)if I were making the choice.</p>

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<p>Although I'm curious about the hybrids. Do the slates on the hybrids always stand up slanted the way I've seen in a bunch of pictures or are they adjustable? The reason I ask is that sometimes the angle of the screen needs to be adjusted on laptops depending on the position you're in and I wouldn't want a hybrid that doesn't let you adjust the screen. So far though I think I'm looking for a converible since I want a laptop and a convertible is the best of both worlds basically.</p>

<p>The Motion LS800 is a slate so scratch that. I was thinking about getting an external optical drive but I'm not sure how expensive that would be. It'd certainly be a better option since I might be able to carry it when I know I'll need it, saving me the extra weight most of the time. Plus in this day and age most people are using thumbdrives so that should easily plug in.</p>

<p>I was looking at this TabletPC from Toshiba because it did have the optical drive but it sounds like it's heavy. The price of it also throws me off a bit because all the other TabletPCs I've seen are much more expensive than that. Here's what I'm referring to: <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Satellite_R15_S829_Pentium_M_735_1_7_GHz_14_1_TFT/4507-3126_7-31517730.html?tag=sub%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Satellite_R15_S829_Pentium_M_735_1_7_GHz_14_1_TFT/4507-3126_7-31517730.html?tag=sub&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I've also run into this page which compares the specs on different TabletPCs.
<a href="http://www.tabletpc2.com/Compare.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tabletpc2.com/Compare.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Ok here is where I stand on this.</p>

<p>I managed to look at other companies that I've had other people recommend. Here's the list of the companies first: Acer, Toshiba, Gateway, and Fujitsu. I looked at Lenovo and their ThinkPad X41 but the specs don't compare to the other models I was looking at.</p>

<p>First off I just want to make it clear that in buying this Tablet PC I will probably not be getting another one for a real long time. So if I have to spend big bucks for a top notch Tablet PC (convertible) I'll do it. With that said here are the models I was looking at with links:</p>

<p>Acer TravelMate C310:
<a href="http://us.acer.com/acereuro/page4.do?sp=page3&dau22.oid=10446&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0&dctx1=25&CountryISOCtxParam=US&LanguageISOCtxParam=en&crc=496390491%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://us.acer.com/acereuro/page4.do?sp=page3&dau22.oid=10446&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0&dctx1=25&CountryISOCtxParam=US&LanguageISOCtxParam=en&crc=496390491&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Toshiba Protege M400:
<a href="http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-30603%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-30603&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Gateway CX2620:
<a href="http://www.gateway.com/home/products/ret/ret_cx2620.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gateway.com/home/products/ret/ret_cx2620.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Fujitsu LifeBook T4210:
<a href="http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=T4210%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=T4210&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'm curious to know, what is BlueTooth like on a computer? Reason I ask is because I know it seems to be commonly used in cell phones but I haven't heard of them too much in portable computers. Also what is EDR? Toshiba offers both of them if you look at the link.</p>

<p>I was surprised to see the Toshiba M400 bring a 100GB 7200rpm HDD as a customizable feature. Almost all the HDDs out there are 5400rpm for the Tablet PCs.</p>

<p>Another thing I need to know, what are the differences between the Intel Core Duo (I've seen a Core Solo processor on one of the Toshiba machines but most I've seen have been Core Duo) and Pentium M processors. If I had a 1.7ghz Core Duo would that be the same as a 1.7ghz Pentium M?</p>

<p>As for wireless, what standard (802.11a/b/g) is being used more at the moment? I've seen some laptops that just bring 802.11g or maybe two out of the three.</p>

<p>I think those are all the questions I have for now. It's been a while since I've bought a computer and I've never bought a portable computer before and making my first a Tablet PC makes it even that much harder so I'm trying to make sure I get a solid computer here.</p>

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<p><a href="http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/selected_product_option.jsp?service=EU&PRODUCT_ID=117996&DISC_MODEL=0%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/cgi-bin/ToshibaCSG/selected_product_option.jsp?service=EU&PRODUCT_ID=117996&DISC_MODEL=0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.gateway.com/products/GConfig/proddetails.asp?system_id=cx210x&seg=hm&cmpid=index*home*Promo_1*cx210x*PRODUCT_DETAILS:HOME:GATEWAY_CX210X%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gateway.com/products/GConfig/proddetails.asp?system_id=cx210x&seg=hm&cmpid=index*home*Promo_1*cx210x*PRODUCT_DETAILS:HOME:GATEWAY_CX210X&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>EDR: (Enhanced Data Rate)</p>

<p>(<a href="http://www.commsdesign.com/design_center/homenetworking/design_corner/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=55800768%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.commsdesign.com/design_center/homenetworking/design_corner/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=55800768&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Bluetooth V.2 with EDR is typically 3 times faster than earlier versions for data transfer. </p>

<p>Core Duo vs. Pentium: A Core Duo, as the name implies, has two processors on the same die. In a multi-tasking or multi-threading environment, you should expect to see a 10-30% speed improvement over a similar Pentium processor of the same speed. Much depends on the programs being run and how well they are code optimized for a Core Dual processor. If you run multiple or processor intensive programs at the same time, a Core Dual will be worth the extra cost.</p>

<p>Both Toshiba and Gateway (along with Fujitsu) have Core Dual Tablets in the works. Gateway will release their Core Duo on June 23rd. Toshiba announced the M7 on their European website, but with no release date or pricing. The Toshiba will weigh in at around 6 lbs. and will be comparable to the Gateway.</p>

<p>If you’re seeking to “future-proof” your purchase, you may want to see how the new Core Duo Tablets stack up. Just be aware that whatever laptop/Tablet PC you buy, it will be replaced with a faster model within six months…</p>

<p>Wireless A/B/G: Most wireless networks run B/G. Wireless A is much less common and stays pretty much in some corporate environments. Nothing to worry about …</p>

<p>Hard drives (5400/7200 rpm): Most laptops run 5400 rpm units because of their lower heat and power consumption. And they are cheaper. 7200 rpm drives cost more and generate a bit more heat and use more power. No free lunch. Given the ease of swapping out a hard drive, it’s cheaper to buy a larger and faster drive and installing it yourself.</p>

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<p>Thanks for answering my questions so far. I got more now.</p>

<p>It sounds like the Core Duo along with all dual core processors (I know AMD has already come out with their own) are the processors of the future. I'm thinking I'll go with the Core Duo if I do end up buying the Tablet PC. It should definitely be able to run all the new programs that will be coming out in 2007 with the release of Windows Vista. Not that I'll be switching right away but if I ever decide to at least I know I'll be able to.</p>

<p>The link to the Gateway CX210X will be available June 23rd you say? I'm assuming this is the best and latest model they're releasing.</p>

<p>I was looking at the Toshiba M7 and I noticed that they have a bunch of other products that aren't available yet. Is the M7 the latest and best Tablet PC they'll be releasing or are they releasing other models Tablet PCs that may be better?</p>

<p>Also where could I find a site to buy laptop harddrives specifically running at 7200rpm? I know of newegg.com, pricewatch.com, and pricegrabber.com. Any site in particular you could recommend? I'll probably just end up taking the smallest hdd that comes with the tablet and just buying another one that's bigger and faster like you said.</p>

<p>I'll be making a spreadsheet shortly to compare the specs on the models you've given me along with the ones I have researched. I won't be buying the Tablet PC anytime soon like within the next month or anything like that but hopefully by the end of the summer. I realize that every six months new processors come out that are faster. But that's something I can't control so I can live with buying the best now only to see it topped half year later. That's just how the IT field works.</p>

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<p>Both the Gateway and the Toshiba are the latest and greatest Core Duo tablets being released in the near term...</p>

<p>Re: hard drives</p>

<p>My nephew (Toshiba M200 Tablet) got a 100G hard drive from Newegg and was really satisfied with the price and quick delivery. </p>

<p>As for what the Intel mobile roadmap will look like for the remainder of the year: <a href="http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2546%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2546&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Intel's next chip (Meron) looks to debut in Aug. That's cutting it really close to the beginning of the Fall term.</p>

<p>Happy Shopping!</p>

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<p>If you're looking for power in a laptop and the tablet, the gateway m285/cx210x (they're the same, one's home, and one's business). Honestly, good battery life, fast components, dedicated graphics (you can actually play games). </p>

<p>But I have to say, many people are willing to sacrifice alot of this power because they have decent desktops. I agree, tablet portablitiy is important, whether you're a someone who moves around or has to go outside (get outdoor screen upgrade).</p>

<p>Personally, I have a Gateway m285 with specs: T2500, 1024MB 667MHz, ATI X1400, 80GB 7200rpm, Multi-Format Double Layer DVD Writer, Audigy Sound Card, Bluetooth and 12-cell Lithium ion battery. But a little warning, this thing is heavy about seven pounds, so it's not the tablet you would carry in your hands all day, but one that you set down slanted by your desk to jot down notes. </p>

<p>The Toshiba Tecra m7 is coming out and it will have some pretty sweet microphone built in, plus their technology is amazing with the finger touch sensor, and truebrite screen, but the Gateway will be definitely be a bit cheaper (for me, my Gateway cost almost 2300, as there is sales tax in my state, and i bought a 3 year warranty extension-gateway service-honestly amazing). Toshiba will cost much more for the same stats.</p>

<p>My advice is if you're not in a hurry for a power laptop, wait and see how the prices will turn out for m7 vs. the gateway. If you want thin ones, look at the new fujitsu 4210. But overall, don't go skimpy on these tablet pcs. Expect to pay $2000 for a nice one, and you'll use it for at least two years. And get extra pens and modular battery (make cd images-hard drive saves much more power than cd-drive), cuz you don't want to find out in the middle of semester that you don't have one for your convertible. :)</p>

<p>Investing in tablet pcs will be a difficult choice if you're new to them as you can get top notch laptops for between 1500-2000 and amazing desktops for between 1000-1500 while good tablet ones will cost between 2000-2500. But once you get one, you won't let go.</p>